Veteran Football Coach Jacob Sakala Claims Thabo Qalinge Has The Qualities To Play For The National Team

Thabo Qalinge nicknamed “Section 10”, is a South African football (soccer) player who plays as a midfielder for Orlando Pirates in the Premier Soccer League.

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Qalinge’s former coach, Jacob Sakala, has revealed that he expected the Orlando Pirates winger to be playing for the South African senior national team by now.

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After being heavily linked with a move to Kaizer Chiefs, following his impressive displays for Mpumalanga Black Aces, Qalinge was eventually signed by Orlando Pirates in 2014.

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However, the winger has struggled to command a regular place in Bucs’ line-ups during his time at the Soweto giants, which has somewhat led to concerns about his future at the club.

It was recently reported by the Siya crew that a potential move to his former club SuperSport United has been talked about, as confirmed by sources in the know.

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It was under Sakala at Aces that Qalinge’s career blossomed, as the winger’s impressive performances helped AmaZayoni to get the promotion to the PSL through the promotion play-offs at the end of the 2012/13 season.

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Qalinge came on as a substitute for Bucs against Bidvest Wits at the weekend as he continues to make progress, following his recent return to coach Milutin Sredojevic’s line-ups, after a long absence.

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“Thabo Qalinge is a good player and there is no doubt about that. He is a hard worker. He is a quick player and a good winger. He is disciplined and that’s very difficult to find from players in our days. He is very quick and difficult for defenders to mark,” said Sakala.

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Sakala has revealed that he thought Qalinge would be playing for Bafana Bafana by now, while the coach has also encouraged the player to stay focused.

“He should continue working hard. But as it is always the case, all the players want to play and they want to start. Even if they do well coming off the bench, they don’t want that, they want to start.

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When we (Aces) were still in the NFD I would compare him to other players, and honestly, there was no comparison. He was quicker than everyone. I predicted that he would go on to play for the national team.